1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to door-activated switches and to doorstop assemblies for vehicles. More particularly, the present invention relates to a door-activated electrical switch and a door stop or motion damper for a vehicle door, combined into a single assembly.
2. Description of the Background Art
Door-activated switches, for activating an interior light, a dashboard or console indicator light, and/or an audible buzzer, are well-known and are used in substantially all vehicles. Typically, the switches are secured along a side portion of a vehicle door frame, adjacent a door hinge, and are operated by the opening and closing action of the vehicle door, alternately releasing and depressing a pushbutton activator as the vehicle door is opened and closed.
Many vehicles also conventionally use a door stop or damper, for damping or preventing further inward movement of a closing vehicle door, when it approaches or reaches a fully closed orientation thereof. Typically, such stop members are constructed of semi-rigid rubber or the like, and are either secured to the door frame, or to a free edge of a vehicle door, in a location remote from the hinge, where an edge of the door contacts the frame.
When using the previously known components, a complication could arise if an adjustment was made to set the proper extension of a stop member from a vehicle body panel, that might require separate adjustment of a door-activated switch, to compensate for the first adjustment made to the stop member.
One type of known door bumper, specifically designed for use with a sliding door on a vehicle such as a van or the like, is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,791,723 to Bell et al.
Additionally, there are known devices for providing a weather-resistant seal around a conventional door-activated switch.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,665,285 to Shiraishi, issued May 12, 1987, discloses a rubber bumper device which attaches on to an edge portion of a vehicle door, using specially designed mounting pins. The rubber bumper device of Shiraishi is adapted to be placed on an edge of a vehicle door, in a location which lines up adjacent to a conventional door switch on a vehicle body panel when the door is fully closed.
The bumper device of Shiraishi does not include a switch, but instead, pushes against a push rod of the conventional door-activated switch, when the door is closed, to switch off an interior light in the vehicle. The conventional switch, which is activated by the device of Shiraishi, is located on the vehicle body such that the switch push rod is operatively engaged by a central portion of the bumper.
A peripheral wall of the bumper which extends around an outer edge thereof, is formed of soft rubber or the like, and surrounds the conventional switch as a weather seal, when the vehicle door is closed thereagainst.
Although the known devices are effective for their intended uses, a need still exists in the art to simplify and reduce costs by combining functions of several components into fewer components, and where possible, to combine the functions of multiple components into a single assembly.